Welcome to Debbie's Stories!
Debbie Russell's book Crossing 51 will be published by Koehler Books in June, 2023.
Watch this space for preorder info!
Crossing 51: Not Quite a Memoir
How do we value a life? How do family patterns and relationships influence our sense of self-worth? How do we let go of past pain and create the future of our dreams? In this poignant family saga, Debbie Russell describes her own midlife crisis as well as her grandfather’s - a meticulously documented four months stay in a locked federal drug rehab program.
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A week before Christmas 1951, Dr. Ralph Russell risked everything to voluntarily enter a locked federal drug-treatment facility, known as a “Narcotic Farm.”
Sixty-five years later, his granddaughter Debbie suffers a debilitating crisis of identity when her father, (Dr. Russell’s oldest son) always her biggest fan, is accepted into hospice.
Debbie's investigation into her paternal lineage reveals family secrets and ignites her mother's volatile outbursts, propelling her into therapy.
When therapy fails her, the grandfather Debbie never knew saves her, and she collaborates with her dying father one last time to make her biggest dream come true.
Early Praise for Crossing 51!
The Booklife Prize
Deborah Burns, award winning author
Deborah Burns, award winning author
"The author's father is wonderfully painted - supportive and optimistic, even as he is placed on hospice care.
Readers intrigued by genealogical research, or who are also facing the realities of aging parents, will find the work to be edifying and engaging."
Deborah Burns, award winning author
Deborah Burns, award winning author
Deborah Burns, award winning author
"The generational threads that can bind us together or tear us apart take center stage in this raw and honest mid-life reckoning.
A universal tale of family secrets and love in the face of dysfunction--and how the lessons from the past can come back around to save our futures."
Greg Fields, award winning author
Deborah Burns, award winning author
Greg Fields, award winning author
"This debut author has created a replication of a flawed and bruised family dynamic that reads like a novel and carries a universality that is quite human, and extremely well developed."
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